Strana 48
BM592, W/Cdr Alois Vašátko, CO of Exeter (Czechoslovak) Wing, RAF Exeter, Devon,
United Kingdom, June 1942
EN765, W/Cdr Karel Mrázek, CO of Exeter (Czechoslovak) Wing, RAF Exeter, Devon,
United Kingdom, June -July 1942
Alois "Amos" Vašátko was the third most
successful Czechoslovak fighter pilot of World
War II with 14 confirmed and four probable kills,.
During the Battle of France, he shot down twelve
enemy aircraft plus two probably, making him
the most successful Czechoslovak pilot and
the fifth most successful ace of the Armée de
l'air. After the defeat of France, he served with
No. 312 (Czechoslovak) Squadron, with which
he participated in the Battle of Britain. After the
Czechoslovak Wing was formed, he became its
commander on May 1, 1942. The fateful evening
of June 23, 1942, when 36 Spitfires escorted the
Bostons for a raid on Morlaix airfield, proved
fatal for him. During the ensuing dogfight,
Vašátko collided with an Fw 190A-3 of Uffz.
W. Reuschling from 7./JG 2 and died. Vasatko's
personal Spitfire Mk.Vb s/n BM592 was a brand
new aircraft, delivered to Wing on June 20, 1942.
As the appearance of it has not been documented,
its appearance can only be reconstructed,
especially from the appearance of the first
personal Spitfire of Vašátko´s successor, Karel
Mrázek, which in turn is very well documented.
The command aircraft were taken care of by the
No. 310 Squadron personnel, and it is possible to
deduce what Vašátko´s BM592 might have looked
like. The AV personal codes were most likely
placed between the cockpit and the Sky-coloured
stripe, and the AV personal letters were repeated
on the underside of the engine cowling. No other
markings were probably applied.
After the sudden death of the first commander
of the Exeter (Czechoslovak) Wing, W/Cdr
Alois Vašátko, on June 23, 1942, the existing
commander of No. 313 (Czechoslovak) Squadron,
W/Cdr Karel Mrázek, was appointed in his place.
His first personal Spitfire in his new command
was a Spitfire Mk.Vb s/n EN765, with which
he made a total of 29 non-operational flights.
W/Cdr Mrázek took advantage of the privilege
that came with this position and had his initials
applied to his new Spitfire as code letters, i.e. KM.
According to surviving photographs, it is clear
that the letters KM were displayed in Sky paint
on both sides between the fuselage cockpit and
the stripe of Sky paint in front of the tail surfaces.
They were also found in a smaller form on the
lower engine cowling. The coloring of the upper
surfaces was the standard Day Fighter Scheme
shades of Dark Green and Ocean Grey, the lower
surfaces were in Medium Sea Grey. Karel Mrázek
was one of the most capable young officers of the
pre-war air force. During his wartime career he
shot down four enemy aircraft, one probably and
three damaged. He was the only Czechoslovak
fighter pilot to clash with pilots from the Italian
Expeditionary Corps Corpo Aereo Italiano, and he
emerged from the battle successfully, managing
to shoot down two Fiat Cr.42s. His leadership
skills were recognized with high awards of DFC
and DSO.
KITS 10/2024
INFO Eduard48
October 2024